[Sri Lanka] Government set to replace 30-year-old payroll system

Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry has advertised for a new government payroll system to replace its 30-year-old GPS, The Sunday Times reports.

The current system has become “technologically obsolete and is no longer capable of supporting modern operational demands or adapting to evolving information security requirements”

The Finance Ministry’s Department of State Accounts (DSA) published the tender notice for the “Procurement of Design, Development and Implementation of a Payroll System for Government Organizations”.

The existing GPS was reportedly introduced in 1996 and is currently used by a broad range of public sector institutions, including government ministries, departments, special spending units, provincial councils, local authorities and select statutory bodies.

The advertisement reads, “The limitations of the existing system are multifaceted. Its outdated architecture prevents further enhancement, and its weak security protocols expose it to risks of manipulation and payroll-related fraud, undermining the credibility and efficiency of government financial operations.

“Furthermore, the current system lacks the flexibility and scalability required to function as an integrated human resource and payroll management platform, thereby impeding institutional productivity and efficiency.”

According to the DSA, the need to transition to a technologically advanced, secure and integrated payroll processing system is urgent, and the modernisation initiative “will be guided by global best practices and emerging trends in information and communication technology”.

The new system must strictly follow public sector policies. The tender requirements stipulate that this should include the Establishments Code, government Financial Regulations, and specific Treasury, Public Administration and Budget circulars. It must be multilingual and allow users to navigate interfaces, enter data, and write official minutes and remarks interchangeably in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

To maintain strict financial accountability, the DSA says the system must use multifactor authentication, apply dynamic security watermarks to downloaded papers, run built-in AI to scan for anomalous “ghost” employees, and maintain secure, tamper-evident audit trails that log every transaction.

In addition, the DSA is reportedly seeking a companion offline business continuity tool which will allow local payroll offices to upload a baseline Excel sheet, update basic salary information and output a valid bank transfer file if connectivity goes down, ensuring government workers are always paid on time.

Source: The Sunday Times

(Quotes via original reporting)

Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry has advertised for a new government payroll system to replace its 30-year-old GPS, The Sunday Times reports.

The current system has become “technologically obsolete and is no longer capable of supporting modern operational demands or adapting to evolving information security requirements”

The Finance Ministry’s Department of State Accounts (DSA) published the tender notice for the “Procurement of Design, Development and Implementation of a Payroll System for Government Organizations”.

The existing GPS was reportedly introduced in 1996 and is currently used by a broad range of public sector institutions, including government ministries, departments, special spending units, provincial councils, local authorities and select statutory bodies.

The advertisement reads, “The limitations of the existing system are multifaceted. Its outdated architecture prevents further enhancement, and its weak security protocols expose it to risks of manipulation and payroll-related fraud, undermining the credibility and efficiency of government financial operations.

“Furthermore, the current system lacks the flexibility and scalability required to function as an integrated human resource and payroll management platform, thereby impeding institutional productivity and efficiency.”

According to the DSA, the need to transition to a technologically advanced, secure and integrated payroll processing system is urgent, and the modernisation initiative “will be guided by global best practices and emerging trends in information and communication technology”.

The new system must strictly follow public sector policies. The tender requirements stipulate that this should include the Establishments Code, government Financial Regulations, and specific Treasury, Public Administration and Budget circulars. It must be multilingual and allow users to navigate interfaces, enter data, and write official minutes and remarks interchangeably in English, Sinhala and Tamil.

To maintain strict financial accountability, the DSA says the system must use multifactor authentication, apply dynamic security watermarks to downloaded papers, run built-in AI to scan for anomalous “ghost” employees, and maintain secure, tamper-evident audit trails that log every transaction.

In addition, the DSA is reportedly seeking a companion offline business continuity tool which will allow local payroll offices to upload a baseline Excel sheet, update basic salary information and output a valid bank transfer file if connectivity goes down, ensuring government workers are always paid on time.

Source: The Sunday Times

(Quotes via original reporting)